Mumbai salvaged a draw against Maharashtra in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium at Gahunje in Pune on Sunday with stand-in captain Siddhesh Lad and Akash Parkar starring for their side.

Photo credit: Siddhesh Lad/Instagram

Put into bat first, Maharashtra put up 352 in the first innings but could have been a lot more as they were cruising at 310/3 at one stage. It was here when Akash Parkar struck, accounting for the next five dismissals starting with the well-set Jay Pande.

He then run out captain Rahul Tripathi, who was accelerating the score, and sent back Rohit Motwani, Satyajeet Bachhav and Anupam Sanklecha to reduce the opposition to 337/8; Maharashtra losing five wickets for just 27 runs courtesy of the Triumph Knights Mumbai North East player from T20 Mumbai.

"We had the (second) new ball. It really helped me with pace and swing," said Parkar, whose 10-over spell bagged 4/23. "I also had support from the other end. It was a team effort."

Mumbai got off to a good start when they came out to bat and were 143/1 before they were shaken to 181/5. Lad, who had earlier forged a 109-run stand with Aditya Tare, steadied the innings with a 51-run partnership with Shubham Ranjane. While the Shivaji Park Lions pick departed for 93, Ranjane remained unbeaten on 56 to take the score to 273.

It was the second time Lad missed his ton this season, following his 99 against Railways last month.

With a lead of 79, Maharashtra held the edge in the second innings. Although Shivam Dubey took 3/25 -- including a spell of 2/2 in six overs -- and Shivam Malhotra 3/41, a score of 254 by the hosts meant that Mumbai had to fight out a draw as they were set an imposing target of 334. Playing just 47 overs in the final innings, Tare's 52* and Ranjane's 35 ensured that Mumbai wrapped up the proceedings for 135/5 to draw the match.

Nayar picks a fifer

Over in Wayanad in the Plate Group match against Sikkim, Abhishek Nayar played a helping-hand in Puducherry's victory when he picked up 5/76 in the second innings. Puducherry won by an innings and 159 runs with the SoBo Supersonics captain scoring an unbeaten 30 and ending with a match tally of 6/113. It was his sixth five-wicket haul in 103 First Class games.